The present invention relates to powered devices driven over snow, and in particular, a powered snowboard.
There are numerous designs for powered devices or xe2x80x9ctoysxe2x80x9d for recreational activity on snow. For example, there are snowmobiles, which are a type of off-road vehicle designed and optimized for travel over snow. There are some designs that attempt to provide motorized power to a person on a pair of snow skis. There are also designs for providing power to a snow sled.
In any powered recreational device, it is important that the device include features for control of the direction of the device. A nimble, easy to control recreational device will be both more fun and safer for the user of the device.
The capabilities and/or complexity of the control features are problems on many recreational snow devices. For example, some devices are linked to a motorized propulsion unit such that there is little or no flexibility or pivoting ability of the propulsion unit relative to the user platform. Yet other designs offer multiple degrees of freedom between the user platform and the propulsion device, but provides this in a relatively large, complex mechanism. Yet other designs allow for pivotal movement of the user platform relative to the propulsion device, but do not provide any mechanism for restoring alignment of the two devices. What are needed are apparatus and methods which overcome these failings. The present design does this in a novel and unobvious way.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is an apparatus comprising a user platform and adapted and configured for accepting a standing operator. The apparatus also includes a propulsion unit having an engine driving tracks adapted and configured for propelling the propulsion unit and the user platform over snow. The apparatus also includes a ball joint interconnecting the front of the propulsion unit to the rear of the user platform. The apparatus also includes a spring interconnecting the propulsion unit to the user platform.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is an apparatus comprising a user platform. The apparatus also includes a propulsion unit having an engine driving tracks adapted and configured for propelling the propulsion unit and the user platform over snow. The apparatus also includes a first spring interconnecting the propulsion unit to the user platform and adapted and configured to apply a biasing force along a first axis, and a second spring interconnecting the propulsion unit to the user platform and adapted and configured to apply a biasing force along a second axis, with the first axis being horizontally displaced from the second axis.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is a method for propelling a platform over snow, comprising providing a front platform and a track-driven propulsion unit including an engine. The method also includes interconnecting the propulsion unit behind the front platform so that the front platform can rotate relative to the propulsion unit with at least two degrees of freedom. The method also includes steering the front platform to cause rotation of the platform relative to the propulsion unit. The method also includes biasing the propulsion unit relative to the front platform in a direction to return the propulsion unit to a location behind the front platform.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is an apparatus comprising a user platform having a front and a rear and adapted and configured for accepting an operator. The apparatus also includes a propulsion unit having an engine adapted and configured for propelling the propulsion unit and the user platform over snow. The apparatus also includes a pivoted joint interconnecting the front of the propulsion unit to the rear of the user platform, the joint permitting the user platform to rotate about the propulsion unit with multiple degrees of freedom. The apparatus also includes a dampener interconnecting the propulsion unit to the user platform.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention can be found in the description, drawings and claims to follow.